atrous
by nazzy and jerkez
Summary: They were the embodiment of life and death itself. —UlquiHime.
1. white lips

The reason why I'm uploading this as a new story is because this is going to be a drabble—thingy… sort of. I want to chapters to be coherent but still, the plot is about her life in Hueco Mundo and what they do and how their relationship is going to progress and so on. Since we all know that in the manga, she is rescued and... he dies (*covers ears* LALALALALAA I CANT HEAR YOU HES ALIVE) so this will be considered slight au, but hey who cares.

Each chapter will star a moment of their life together. So I dunno how this will "end" or play out but we'll just have fun and play with it a little. If you have like a proposition or idea of what the next drabble should be, pm me or review!

Have a good day, everyone.

_Jerkez_

…

…

…

The heavy thunder echoed in the room with the rain thrashing against thick walls that almost resembled armour, but had the posture of a prison cell. Droplets of water fell silently down the impenetrable windows in random patterns and she could do nothing but stare because she had nothing but time. She tried to console herself that everything was going to be just fine, but repeating the same sentence in your head over and over again like a mantra for what feels like an eternity, the words eventually taste bitter with just a hint of forced. There is no light in her large room since she has no lamps with the exception of the discreet moonlight, basking in the shadows of the walls and furniture.

Orihime shivered. It felt like the room was about to get smashed to pieces (wouldn't that be a dream come true, she mused silently) but even if storms like this was rare in Hueco Mundo, she had relived them before and the room had managed to withstand it then. Sadly, it will probably do it now again. She let out a sigh and pulled the ivory blanket around her body tighter and tighter in desperate need of finding warmth (_which may be even more rare to find in this gloomy land_, Orihime added wryly) until she was almost unable to move at all, her petite fingers paling while holding the soft material like her life depended on it.

The stormy weather continued on and Orihime bit her lip in frustration.

_I wonder what the weather in Karakura town is right now… _She released her grip on the blanket and counted off each fingertip, continuing on to her right hand. _February, March, April, May, June, July, August… _Orihime frowned, deep in thought and pouted slightly. _It's probably raining. Last August it rained all the time… _A smile escaped her lips when a memory started to form.

_Ah, Inoue! She turned around slowly but steady when hearing his voice. She was met with the sight of Kurosaki Ichigo running towards her, his wet hair clinging to his forehead and an onyx umbrella in hand._

_Kurosaki-kun! What… Orihime was interrupted by Ichigo catching up with her and slumped down, palms on knees and groaned. W—what are you doing?_

_It's pouring down, moron! He looked up and met her gaze, and pointed towards the onyx umbrella he held in his right hand. And you told me this morning that you had no umbrella. At this, Orihime simply nodded and smiled gently. Well, let's walk together. That way, you can share my umbrella and in exchange, you can get me one of those delicious donuts waiting for me in your house. He grinned. It's a win-win, right?_

_She could feel her blush creeping up on her, rising like the plague but quickly fought it and gave him a sincere smile instead. Yes!_

A pain erupted in her chest whilst reliving her almost forgotten memory, and she quickly closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Her thoughts hadn't been focused on him for quite some time now, as she always found it too difficult to bear. Well, more or less every memory of her old life in Karakura brought her pain but Orihime found it almost impossible to get through the day if she thought of Ichigo. She remembered the day Aizen waltzed into her room and brought her the news of her friend's memory loss; it seemed like every single one of her friends had forgotten about her. Even though he didn't say it out loud, Orihime knew in her heart that he was the one behind it. Then, she had just swallowed the fact and the words on the tip of her tongue and nodded, bringing him no satisfaction to see her broken heart and hear her shattered thoughts that whirled around in her timid body like a storm. Although displeased with her reaction, he had simply smirked at her and then left her room without a single word.

She hadn't seen him since.

Orihime sobbed quietly as she rose from her bed, trying to withhold her gasps when her feet touched the floor. She continued to walk forward, tip-toe, shivering by each touch until she reached her loafers that were positioned next to her wardrobe on the other end of the room. _Give me one reason why they can't give me a radiator in here, _Orihime thought dryly. She tucked her feet in neatly and emitted a blissful sigh when feeling the warmth creeping up her feet and legs, and then reached for the robe that was folded on her sofa next to it and quickly put it on, smiling at the touch of cotton wool caressing her pale skin. She then walked to the door positioned to her left and raised her hand, lingering on the silver bell proudly placed next to the handle. She touched in gently with her index finger, and let out a tender smile when a machine-like voice appeared through the speakers located above the door.

"_Yes, ma'am?"_

She could hear the fragile human voice lingering throughout the words, and Orihime couldn't help but wonder what the woman looked like when she was human. "Toast with ham, cheese, beans and garlic, please. And an orange juice, also."

A pause, and then. "_Confirmed. It will arrive in precisely seven minutes, sixteen seconds point twenty hundredth, ma'am. Anything else?"_

She hesitated. Her finger lingered on the bell until she firmly pressed it again. "Yes. Send Ulquiorra in, please."

Orihime could swear she could hear the woman smile.

"_Of course."_

…

…

…

He entered without knocking.

His steps echoed in the vast room and the stark white walls darkened when his shadow fell on them, his green eyes focusing on the chestnut-haired woman standing in front of him, fidgeting with her mousy robe and biting her lip. As usual, he dragged along a servant who walked behind him with a vehicle in front of her. Orihime guessed he didn't want to waste his strength of strolling a simple vehicle, or want to be of use and _actually_ help her. _God forbid, he might even come across as friendly, or nice!_ She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, but instead let her gaze dart from the servant to the vehicle. It consisted of two toasts, a carafe filled with orange juice, one glass and some napkins tidy placed next to the toasts. As soon as the servant was done with placing the contents on her table and then bowed gently to Orihime, Ulquiorra dismissed her with a snap of his fingers.

When the door closes, she leaps for the toasts.

Ulquiorra rested his eyes on her and raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow slightly. "Felt peckish for some night food?"

Orihime snorts very un-lady like and continues to chew on the slightly burnt toast but she doesn't mind because in secrecy she likes them more that way, and then swallows while brushing her hands on one of the napkins. "Good evening to you too." She reaches for the carafe and starts pouring down that perfect shade of orange down the glass and tries not to think of his hair. "And yes, I was."

He shrugs and watches her strut to the beige chair in the far end of the corner of the room, picks it up lightly and then walks back in a hurried pace and gently places it down next to the table and sits with a sigh. He tries to ignore the smile that tries to form on his face when she grabbed the second toast and takes a mouthful. "So I've noticed."

Orihime nods and flashes him a smile before continuing on to eat in silence.

Ulquiorra crosses his arms across his chest and by letting his gaze linger on her, he once again discover those small yet memorable things she do when she thinks he's not looking. As she silently reaches for her glass, she lifts her pinkie up when drinking and he has no idea why and when trying to look up what it means, he comes across a book that mentions it's a motion common between royals and princesses and he suppresses another smile when he looks at her hair her skin her body and her eyes and realizes that in another world and another time she would probably have been one. When she uses her second napkin to clean her hands she pouts with her lips and squints with her eyes as if she was polishing a vase of worth or working on a masterpiece but in the end all she does is scrubbing her thumb while trying to get off some grease.

He was interrupted by hearing her giggling and he looked up to meet her eyes. "You know, you can sit down." Ulquiorra kept his stoic face and blinked. "I mean, there's an armchair right behind you. That's why I got the chair, because I thought you would sit down…" Orihime trailed off when he just opened his mouth slightly and turned away his gaze.

"That's not necessary."

She smirked. "I'm just asking you to sit down. Standing up all the time must be uncomfortable."

Ulquiorra mentally groaned at her remark. Why was it that this woman initially knew so much about him without even being aware of it, he wondered. His legs ached, he'd just come home from a scouting and the ivory armchair looked more than inviting but he wasn't supposed to be sitting. In fact, he couldn't think of a time where he had been sitting with her, having a conversation and eating toasts together. He frowned. His gaze went to the walls and the large windows, covering most of the right end of the room. After the supposed attack on Hueco Mundo some time back, she was moved to another room to secure her place in this mansion. This one was bigger than the last, sporting a massive twin-size bed with grey sheeting and fluffy pillows, a wardrobe filled with various clothes that her servants gladly made for her, a small table with an armchair and then a sofa positioned on the other end at the room. The chair she had positioned herself on was more or less decoration, or the occasionally "let's place my clothes here because I'm too lazy to walk across the room and fold them" chair.

Orihime whimpered when the thunder rumbled in the distance and echoed in the room, and when thunderbolts lit up the room to an extent where she could see every line of Ulquiorra's unmarred face, she swallowed slowly and gripped the chairs handle silently. "The storm is getting worse, isn't it?"

He sighed. And then there was that. He had unintentionally forgotten about the fact that the last time there was a storm in Hueco Mundo she had called him in to her room and wanted some food to eat as well. Ulquiorra squinted as he leered at her, studying her face and wanted to groan. Orihime nibbled on her lower lip and her petite fingers rested on her lap, curled into two fists. All the signs were there but he had failed to notice them ever since he walked through that door.

And he didn't know why he felt sorry for her.

Ulquiorra sat down with a thud on the armchair and rested his head on the palm of his right hand; elbow positioned on his knee and sighed. "You don't like the thunder."

She immediately stopped her actions, her fingers that were reaching for the glass froze mid-air and her mouth was slightly agape when she turned her eyes to him. He saw her swallow and there was a pregnant pause before she withdrew her hand and groaned lowly. She knew that he wasn't asking her, he was merely stating a fact. "It's been like this since as long I can remember." Orihime shrugged her shoulders and entwined her fingers in her lap. "Whenever there's thunder… I just turn twelve again. Especially when there's lightning bolts too."

He rolled his eyes, resisting the urge to tell her that her mental age probably still is twelve but swallows down the words that lingered in his throat. Ulquiorra leered at her again and tried to determine her real age. When captured, he recalled the report that stated her being almost eighteen of age but time had passed and now was a time where he had a hard time figuring out how old she were. In Hueco Mundo time didn't matter like it usually did in the living world, there were no clocks and when the woman had asked if she could get a calendar, the fourth espada had just smirked as a reply and left her standing in her room without an answer. The fact that he did not know what a calendar was would remain silent.

"Why did you summon me, woman?"

Although Orihime didn't look up she knew and she felt his gaze linger on her, his eyes looking into her very being without realizing it. She swallowed and let herself smile a bit before replying with a soft tone. "I don't know."

"Hn."

She blinked. Had Ulquiorra just uttered a word without necessary meaning, she pondered. Well, that was certainly a first. "What?"

"I know why."

Their eyes met and Orihime just nodded, feeling her eyes tear up but quickly used her hand to brush her tears and emotions away. He didn't say anything more but she knew he had figured it out. She was scared. She really was, and it wasn't just because of the thunder. It was the possibility of staying here, in this gloomy land and boring walls and dim moonlight and no friends in sight, forever. By knowing they wouldn't save her, knowing _he _wouldn't come running for her and find her and capture her in a embrace whilst whispering the words _you'll be fine I promise I'm here now and I'll never let you go again _broke her heart more than she ever imagined possible. Even though she knew Ulquiorra did not feel emotions, she had a hunch that he had realized during their time spent together that she was miserable and no amount of dumplings, fluffy pillows and servants to brush your hair in the morning would cure that.

He stared at her, even after she turned her gaze away and looked out the window, droplets continuing to trail downwards and the thunder rumbling in the distance. Orihime frowned and nibbled with her dress, unsure what to do next.

Finally, a sigh escaped her lips. "Can you… stay?"

At this, he simply studied her and considered her request. "For what reason?"

Orihime let herself smile as she silently let her gaze linger on the pale man in front of her. His hair was starting to get longer, brushing past his broad shoulders, she noticed and wondered if he would allow her to cut it for him. It suited him though, she confessed and her gaze travelled up to his neck and towards his angular face. His eyes were focused on solely her, waiting for a response and filled with intensity she did not knew he had. The perfect shade of green stared at her and she found she had trouble breathing properly, and instead focused on his lips. Pale and black, but perfect size, she mused. She tried to ignore the questions that wanted to roam her brain—_what's it like to kiss him to feel his breath against your lips to hear him say your name and brush your lips with his tongue and suck on your bottom lip_—and inhaled and then exhaled slowly, trying to regain her composure. She tried not to think about it, but sometimes…

(he would sit in the big library and she would swirl around in joy when finding her favourite novel _romeo and juliet _and when describing the plot and characters he would simply nod but secretly he would listen to her hearing her gentle voice soothing him like a lullaby sung to an infant. when trying on the new dress she would waltz up to him and ask him how she looks since her confidence has never been extremely big and she feels like the dress may be a too tight fit but he just studies her with his somber face and gives a hint of a smile and whispers _it's perfect _and walks away before she can see him blush.)

When meeting him for the first time, she felt nothing. He may be the very definition of tall dark and handsome, but his cold eyes and broken soul was too much of a problem for her to interact with him and not feel threatened scared angry or sad or everything in between. Deep down, she knew that he used to be human and there were times the words _what was your life before this, did you love someone did someone love you back, were you happy, how did you die _wanted to escape her mouth but she always pushed them down like bile in her throat because in some sort of wicked way, it was too painful to realize that he used to be like her and her friends and her family and to see what he is now; broken, empty and alone.

Through their time spent together, they had battled and they had fought, she had both laughed and cried and he was the reason for both and even though he was heartless (pun intended) and mean and arrogant, he was so much more deep inside that he locked away the same day he died and became what he is now.

But even though they were the complete opposite of each other, maybe that was the sole thing that brought and kept them together. They were as unlike as the sun and the moon, the gloomy night and shimmering day, stark white and soft black.

She was life and he was death.

Yet, he gave her something she didn't feel before coming here. She felt strong, and independent and wise and she felt courage to speak her mind even though she knew she shouldn't but she did and she felt great. She was talkative and happy like she was before but when interacting with hollows and lesser beings she came to understand so much about just life and what it has in store and most of all, she felt the need to help others, more than she did before.

But mostly…

She looked him in the eyes and smiled. "Do we really need one?"

The courage to feel.

Ulquiorra smirked. "Very well then. But only for a little while."

The courage to believe in love again.

Orihime laughs softly before replying. "Of course."

…

…

…


	2. pale face

When the massive gate opened slightly, causing a loud creaking for each and every slow movement, she couldn't stop herself from smiling, her legs eager and palms clenched together into tiny fists in order to conceal her excitement. Orihime knew that her bubbly manner was probably more or less obvious but she couldn't care less because this day was the awaited and lovely moment when she was allowed to walk out from the gloomy castle of Las Noches and into the cosmic desert that was Hueco Mundo.

Her heart skipped a beat or maybe it was two but she didn't mind when the vast land was finally revealed and the ever glowing moon shone on the nightfall, making the land and dunes look ethereal to touch. Her two feet moved on its own and Orihime practically pranced from the main hall onto the gateway with a big smile covering her heart-shaped face when she felt a hand grab her right shoulder and forced her to stop in her steps.

"Woman."

"Why, yes Ulquiorra, what is the matter _this_ time?"

The girl—woman—in front of him pouted slightly as if trying to look innocent of what was to come, but he knew better. Ulquiorra sighed heavily and released his grip on her shoulder and withdrew his pale hand with haste, gracefully putting it in his pocket before answering. "You can't just waltz out there. You were given this generous opportunity of freedom for the rest of the day, and you thought it be fitting to put yourself in harm's way the first thing you do?"

Orihime patted the pale man in front of her lightly on his left shoulder as to reassure him. "Relax. It's refreshing to see you actually care—"

"I'm just following orders." Ulquiorra muttered out through gritted teeth.

"—but I'm completely capable of taking care of myself, so hush."

He resisted the urge to snort. This woman was the living embodiment of naivety and innocence, and here she dared to say that she was _capable _of taking care of herself. Ulquiorra mentally groaned, his escorting mission had just started and he already wanted to retreat to his room where he knew there was absolute and complete silence. She had apparently taken his inaudible answer as a sign of approval and starting walking yet again across the gate and into the enormous land of Hueco Mundo. When she passed the two guards that each stood positioned on each side of the massive, ivory gate she gently bowed to each of them and greeted them with a smile and a gentle wave of her hand. Ulquiorra grunted as he saw the two men (_no they were hollows men is what they were and not what they are but sometimes he could look at someone and see their past selves but when he looked into a mirror all he saw was black_) being taken aback by her sudden greeting but quickly saluted her, mirroring her actions as a wide grin was slowly growing on each of their faces. Ulquiorra sighed as he brushed past them, the two hollows reverting back to their original positions and nodded when he walked by.

A few metres in front of him stood the woman, auburn hair swaying in the warm wind and the dress fluttering in perfect sync, the ivory material showing off her delicate and long legs and Ulquiorra quickly averted his gaze and focused on sensing any nearby reiatsu. He brushed off the jolting in his stomach when a rather strong breeze passed them and the hem of the dress fluttered even higher up, her pale backside now visible to the world—or, in this case, Ulquiorra and two distressed guards—as Orihime let out a loud shriek and quickly grabbed the dress and held it down, and he couldn't decide whether he was relieved or disappointed maybe it was a tad of both but nonetheless he marched forward and passed her with ease. "Woman."

Orihime looked up; eyes wide and cheeks tainted with a wonderful shade of red. "Y—yes?"

"Follow me."

She simply nodded and started to walk in an even pace behind him, grimacing a little when the wind started to increase in speed again.

"And for god's sake, hold your dress down."

…

…

…

Orihime found it surprisingly hot in the air for such a cold and deserted land, and gently lifted the top of her dress slightly to release some warmth, welcoming a light breeze and emitted a blissful sigh. She and Ulquiorra had been walking for what felt like hours, but every time she turned her head around, that forsaken castle that was Las Noches was still in sight and she felt like she couldn't escape her prison cell no matter where she went in Hueco Mundo; it would always be in sight. It would always be imbedded in her like an invisible scar, a painful memory that would never pass away but always linger in the back of her head.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Ulquiorra stopped in his steps, twirled around gracefully and met her gaze. "We're here."

Orihime yelped as she almost walked into his broad shoulders and bit her lip when Ulquiorra silently raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow and grunted. She gave him a quick, apologetic smile and decided to divert her gaze to her surroundings. Desolate, never ending dunes covered the area with the everlasting moon proudly present in the sky, shining down on the vacant desert and Orihime emitted a gasp when she realized how beautiful everything was. Being used to the stark white walls in her room, she was not used to seeing a change of landscape but it was very welcomed. Her eyes went back to the pale man in front of her, and Orihime held her breath when she saw that halo of silver light surround him, the light of the moon reflecting off him as he stood in silence. His skin looked shimmering she couldn't help but notice, and when he met her gaze she quickly exhaled and tried to keep her composure.

"I—it's really beautiful here, Ulquiorra." She said softly and laughed quietly, clasping her petite hands together behind her back, turning slightly away from him. The words _and so are you _tried to escape her throat but she quickly pushed them down into that bottomless pit somewhere in her body where her thoughts of Ulquiorra usually went. "Any reason you chose this particular place?"

As a reply, he leered at her for a moment before bending down, sitting down without a single sound on the mattress of white sand and looks at the endless desert with a smug face.

_I take that as a no_, Orihime thought dryly. She continued to stand upright for a while, gazing at the horizon before she finally admitted defeat in the soundless battle of replies and positioned herself next to him, the _thud_ of her and the soil meeting being the only sound emitted for what felt like eternity, as they sat in silence and did nothing but exchange glances now and then.

.

Hours had passed when Orihime awoke, the dream filled with orange locks and consoling words faltering away as she finds herself lying down on the soft sand and realizes that she has been sound asleep for god knows how long, and sits up with a gasp. It isn't until she looks up at the sky, now painted a shade of grey and then looks to her left that she sees him. Ulquiorra is lying down as well; eyes closed and long lashes fluttering against his ivory skin whilst his lips are slightly parted, and Orihime tries to stop the shiver that overcomes her when she sees his white teeth emerging behind his onyx lips. She'd lost count of times when she ponders whether they are naturally black or if he paints them in the morning (the mental image of Ulquiorra standing in front of a mirror and picking up a black lipstick from a drawer to use like it's the most natural thing in the world makes her snicker) and when she raises her hand and places a digit against his lips—surprisingly soft, she muses—she smiles when she realizes he was born with it.

She retreats her hand with haste, the fear of him awakening with her hand caressing his lips being well enough reason to do so, but the urge to touch him feel him to see all of him is growing like a parasite in her mind and Orihime has to bit her lip in frustration when she finally lets the more rational side of her brain win and stands up, silently brushing of the sand clinging to her for dear life.

As she turns around, she is greeted by the castle—her _home_—falling into view and she suppresses a sigh. Knowing she wasted almost the entire day walking to this _specific _dune that seemed as un-special you could get and then falling asleep, she struts down the ridge and starts walking. The moon shone upon the hills and she let herself smile, for as boring and vast this white desert may be, it made up for it by being absolutely beautiful. She walked with her hands entwined behind her back, glancing and pouting as she was starting to get bored when she saw something out of the ordinary that caught her eye.

It looked like a bush, and knowing the terrain of Hueco Mundo, she gasped in surprise. She had only seen two lonely trees so far during her stay here, and do see a gathering of so many brought her happiness. She approached it slowly, heels digging into the sand and when she reached it, it was so gigantic she could almost not see the hills behind it. The branches were white, and thorns embodied them like armor but there was a beauty to it that almost brought her to tears. How long had this been here, she wondered, and how long had it took it to grow this big. Must have been centuries or even more Orihime realized.

She brought up her right hand to touch the branch closest to her and she could almost feel it caress her, the ivory thorn inches away when she was jerked away with such force she couldn't help but exclaim her surprise.

Orihime braced herself when falling backwards, and collided with something big and warm that made her yelp. Looking up slowly, she met Ulquiorra's gaze and she swallowed, hands gripping his shirt for some reason she couldn't explain. "Ulquiorra?"

"What are you doing out here, woman?"

His chilly voice turned her veins to ice and his eyes made her knees go weak but she inhaled sharply and gave him an apologetic smile. "I was… going for a walk?"

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes and gripped her shoulders with his right hand, making Orihime wince but she stood her ground and held his gaze. "You thought that by going for _a walk _all by yourself, without supervision, that you would not be harmed?"

When he uttered the word _supervision _it made her feel like she was standing in front of her babysitter and had walked to the other end of the room without telling her, and she pouted. "When we walked out here I didn't see any other hollows so I just thought—"

"Of course you didn't—they felt my reiatsu and scattered. By going alone out here, you just invited everyone over for dinner." He gritted his teeth and averted his gaze, looking over at the horizon, "and you just happen to be the main course."

Orihime clenched her petite hands into fists and grunted. "Well, I'm sorry but my _bodyguard _happened to be asleep, so don't come yelling at me for disappearing just because you can't do your job properly—"

Her words were cut off midsentence by his large, pale hand covering her mouth. Her eyes widened at the sudden motion and looked up to meet his eyes and blinked when he brought a finger up to his mouth and pressed it to his lips. "Quiet, woman."

Orihime nodded meekly and tried to ignore the butterflies going rampage in her stomach as she was pressed up against his body, his hand touching her shoulder and bringing her closer to him, banishing the barely non-existing gap between them. The digits placed over her mouth retreats and she inhales slowly. "What is happening?" she lowers her voice so it resembles a whisper, but the stammering lingers throughout the words and she curses herself for being so affected by a single motion as being chest to chest with him. Ulquiorra looks at her and she can feel herself pressing into him, feeling his warmth radiating throughout his entire body and she can't decide between the surprise of finding out despite his chilly endeavour he is actually pretty warm to the touch, or actually standing so close to him and see his chest rise and fall with every breath is more pleasant. She settles for that both are just as good.

After what felt like a lifetime he looks up—and away from her—and the butterflies makes loops in disarray and protest, but stops when she feels his voice against her hair rather than hearing it. "Hollows. A dozen of them."

Orihime's eyes widen in shock. "Oh my god…" She looks around but she can't spot any but she _hears _them, their distant voices echoing in the wind and her petite hand grips Ulquiorra's shirt harder without her realizing it and without him protesting it. "This is all my fault."

"Hm. I agree."

She pouts and lightly pushes him with her hand placed on his chest but soon stops when she fails to find any menace in his words. Orihime opens her mouth to speak but when no words come out, she closes it again. From this angle, she can see him from another point of view she hasn't seen him like before; his sharp cheekbones looks like they would cut your skin on impact, and his onyx locks are resting on his shoulders, some of them twirling in the wind and she concludes that she doesn't want to cut his hair anymore, it's perfect like it is. He's a head taller than her so she just about reaches his collarbones, and she can't help but blush when she sees his collar zipped up to the top and she knows she is staring at his hole, hidden beneath the fabric and a part of her wants to touch it. She sighs and slowly tilts her head forward and too soon or is it too late her forehead meets the junction of his neck and she feels him stiffen underneath her touch.

She bits her lip and lets her lashes meet her cheek, frowning. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean for this to happen… I just..."

He says nothing but she can feel his breath on her auburn locks and Orihime slowly opens her eyes again, not looking at anything in particular but just keeps them open in fear of him being here is just maybe her imagination, the continuation of her dream from before because the reality of her being her alone frightens her. Ulquiorra may not be a knight in shining armor but somehow she knows that he would protect her, and it is that thought that keeps her at bay.

Moments passes by until she feels him inhale deeply and lets his right arm encircle her and it takes all of her willpower not to falter and not to lean into him. "I shouldn't have taken you here." At this, Orihime raises her head and parts her lips slightly as to question him but he opens his mouth yet again. "I apologize."

She wants to protest—_what are you apologizing for, I was the one that walked away from you and almost got eaten, you are the blameless one here you shouldn't you look so sad_—but the words die in her throat when out of the corner of her eye, she sees a shadow. Ulquiorra reacts faster than she does and with a single motion, his right hand leaves her waist and points it to the creature behind them and fires of a cero without so much as blinking. Orihime yelps and turns around, the explosion causing the wind to speed up and both her dress and hair dances with the current until it eventually falters away and she gapes at the scene. Nothing is left of the hollow, the sand where he supposedly stood has turned black from Ulquiorra's attack, but from a distance she sees four—no, five—six—more sprinting down the rocky foundation and towards them. And it's not human speed Orihime realizes when she sees how fast they are approaching them and the urge to touch her hairpins and summon a wall between them overcomes her, but Ulquiorra seems to understand this as he places his hand on her shoulder, making her look up in surprise.

"Don't. It's not necessary."

She nods slowly as a reply but doesn't quite understand his words but knows better than to oppose him. He seems satisfied with her silent answer and pushes her away, creating a gap between them and she tried to hide her disappointment. It isn't until he is a few metres away that she sees another pack of hollows approaching them from the west, and she meets his gaze. His dark voice rumbles in the distance. "Shield yourself, and wait for my signal."

Orihime raises her eyebrows, the words _and what is the signal _forming in her head but before she has a chance to speak them, Ulquiorra gracefully brings out his sword from its sheath and darts at the hollows to their right, leaving Orihime alone and utterly terrified. As asked, she brings out the shun shun rikka and mutters "Santen kesshun", forming a rather long wall between her and the hollows.

Glancing to her right, she sees Ulquiorra effortless cutting down a hollow and even though he is more or less surrounded by them she knows that he will come out on top. One appears behind him and Ulquiorra twirls around and blasts a cero in his torso whilst another one lunges at him from above, making Ulquiorra bring up his sword and cut off his head without breaking a sweat. Soon enough, he is standing alone and picks out his sword from the last hollow that he pierced through the neck and lets it slid into its sheath without a sound.

Only seventeen seconds has passed.

With the hollows from the west fighting through her shield, she sees Ulquiorra from the corner of her eye reappear next to her and she turns around to meet his gaze and gives him a quick smile. He simply nods and uses _sonido _to appear on the other side of the shield, standing behind the rather large hollow that stood at the front of the pack. The hollow—that slightly resembled a lizard—realized this a second too late and is annihilated by Ulquiorra's _bala_. Even though the other hollows seem startled, they don't hesitate and rushes towards Ulquiorra, claws and sharp instruments alike raised in the air but it doesn't take more than a blink of an eye before his cero empowers them, a few uttering incoherent words before vanishing into thin air and some lying on the ground, twitching and bleeding from various places. Orihime draw a sharp inhale of breath and takes a few steps forward, unsure of what to do next. While Ulquiorra finishes the remaining hollows off by using his cero, Orihime gulps as she is greeted by a horrible sight.

At least forty hollows approaching on the horizon, the dim moonlight shining down on them as they sprint towards their target—her. Orihime gasps as she starts to run to Ulquiorra who looks up to meet her, just finishing his last touches on the remaining hollow that finally gave up struggling and his breaths silently vanishing. "Ulquiorra! More are coming! Up there, on the bank—"

"I'm not blind, woman, nor deaf. Come."

Orihime nods, mostly to herself in reassurance, and lets her shield scatter into millions of pieces as she runs through it and towards her bodyguard—_captor, she scolds herself, he's your captor and nothing more _but the words taste forced and bitter and she swallows them in silence—and when she is a few metres away, he suddenly un-sheaths his sword again and she stops in her tracks, blinking. He brings it up to his face and even though he whispers, she hears him mutter the word "_enclose_" and the sword bursts with green and black spiritual energy and she tries her best not to show on her face how heavy it is, it feels like it's trying to suffocate her and she just gapes in amazement as it falls around them like rain on a summer afternoon, shielding her face with her arms. When the rain stops she brings down her arms from her eyes and can't hold back her surprise when she is greeted by Ulquiorra who looks nothing like him at all. His cloak is longer, just as ivory as before but more beautiful if possible. His hair is longer, brushing past his broad shoulders and down his chest and the tear marks on his porcelain skin are wider and darker. His hollow mask is bigger and covers the top of his head like a helmet, two long horns sprouting out from the top but the largest change is the two black wings that have somehow emerged from his back.

She was speechless. He looked nothing like himself, yet she couldn't point out one thing that _wasn't _him. And he was beautiful. God damned beautiful.

He seemed to notice how flabbergasted she looked because he sheathed his sword and raised his head slightly to meet her wandering gaze. Orihime holds her breath as those piercing emerald eyes look at her, scrutinizing her like so many times before and somehow just this single notion makes her feel safe because it is now she is fully convinced that it is him standing before her, even though he looks so different. He slowly raises his right arm and extends it to her, palm out as an invite.

"Come to me, woman."

Biting her lip, she slowly walks forward and it takes but a moment before she is standing in front of him, wings and horns alike. Maybe it's the helmet but he also seems taller, which sparks annoyance in Orihime since her growing spurt faltered years ago and she feels smaller and more insignificant than usual. Giving him an unsure smile, she lifts her hand and gently places it in his open one, trying to ignore the shudders that grip her like electricity when the two of them meet. As she walks one step forward, eyes filled with hesitance, she yelps when Ulquiorra suddenly snakes his other arm around her and closes the gap between their bodies, bringing her as close as possible to him. Orihime can feel a blush creeping up on her face but she fights it even when she knows it's a lost cause. Instinctively she lifts her hands and encircles them behind Ulquiorra's neck, unsure what to do next. She hears him scoff and she wonders if maybe she's taking it a tad too far. "Ulquiorra, what are we—"

"Are you afraid of me?"

Orihime blinks in shock and tilts her head back so she can see him, face hovering dangerously close above hers and she can see every line and imperfection on his face—if he had any, of course. She pauses for a moment and all they do is looking at each other, hearing the voices of hollows approaching in the distance when glancing back, she sees how dangerously close they are getting, and she lets herself smile a little as the presses into him with her body and tightens her grip around his neck, leaning into him as humanly possible.

"No… I'm not."

He doesn't reply but she sees something in his eyes that she's never seen before and it scares her to know that maybe there is a side of Ulquiorra Cifer that actually—maybe—perhaps care a little bit about her, and it feels like her heart stopped at the sudden thought. She can feel his hand clutch her waist, as if to hold on to her tighter and she winces in surprise and anticipation and she is just about to open her mouth again to question his intentions when rather than seeing it—she feels his wings moving, fluttering in the night sky whilst Ulquiorra buries his nose in her hair and it takes everything she got to keep breathing in normal pace. Then she hears him murmur the words "Hold on" and before she knows it, Ulquiorra lifts from the ground gracefully and suddenly she can't feel the earth beneath her feet anymore.

Orihime feel her heart flutter and drop at the same time, the butterflies whirling around within her like a storm and she decides to hold on for dear life and closes her eyes. The wind brushes past them and she can feel her hair and dress living their own life as the currents approaches them from all around them—beneath and above and around and she is dimly aware of her feet placed over his and she looks up, forcing her eyes to open and she drops her mouth in awe when she looks around them. While Hueco Mundo may be beautiful down below, it is nothing compared to seeing it from above.

The hollows beneath them resemble ants and as Ulquiorra fly higher, they are soon out of sight and all that is left to see is the ivory and lonely bush that is still within sight and she suppresses a sigh, wondering if she will able to see it again. Her arms snaked around Ulquiorra's neck tighten and Orihime rests her head on his shoulder, feeling something slightly resembling bliss creep up her body and linger in her veins. As they soar through the black sky with the endless white desert beneath them, she lets herself smile a little and her gaze dart to the man in her arms, his eyes focused on the stark white building in front of them but somehow she knows that he can see her gazing at him, and he doesn't say anything and he doesn't mind.

Without a sound, she presses her lips to his pale throat, at the junction of his neck and jaw and she feels him yet again stiffen beneath this simple touch and from the corner of her eye she sees his lips tighten into a thin line. Her soft lips caress his throat as she nuzzles into his touch, eyes closing on its own accord and as she kisses him on the exact same spot slowly, his grip on her tightens and she realizes that he's not aware of his own actions and lets her lips linger, smiling into the warmth of his throat.

She murmurs "Thank you" into the kiss and Ulquiorra re-adjusts his grip on her, taking all that is her closer to his body and tries not to inhale her scent; the smell of linen, peaches and something extremely and outright _her _infiltrating his senses and he does all that he can not to get thrown off his balance and tries to fly as steady as possible. Too little too soon they are back at the ivory gate, and Ulquiorra silently decreases his speed and they land as perfect as anyone with a distressed young girl clinging to his body and kissing his neck could possibly do. As soon they touch the ground of Las Noches, he gracefully picks her up and away from his embrace and setting her down on the ground, creating the necessary gap between them in order to maintain his stoic behaviour. She pouts slightly and tucks an auburn lock behind her right ear, but her eyes are smiling at him.

The guards notice them and salute Ulquiorra on sight, earning a grunt from said espada. How much did they see, he ponders and leers at them with narrowed eyes. The woman in front of him however practically prances to the guards and does what she do best—talking. She tells the two guards about their walk, how they fell asleep—this is the moment where Ulquiorra tunes her and the two guards out and starts to think of an explanation for Aizen, preferably one that leaves out letting the woman _going on a walk all by herself _whilst Ulquiorra was _sleeping _and running into a pack of hollows—and she makes grand gestures when she starts talking about the ivory bush she ran into and Ulquiorra suppresses another sigh. He only has himself to blame for escorting her to that place and he is aware of that fact. When they had started walking, he actually didn't know where to take her as Hueco Mundo was in itself the definition of gloomy and vast and utterly boring, but when _that place _came into mind his feet started walking in its direction without Ulquiorra acknowledging it.

Looking back, it may have been one of his least favourable ideas but no matter how he looked at it, he didn't regret going there. Being overwhelmed by his old memories, pictures of him walking and walking all alone and sleeping in that godforsaken bush with its thorns not piercing him but embracing him, Ulquiorra had not only managed to feel at ease—he had fallen asleep. And dreamt. But only this time, it wasn't filled with spectres of being alone and having nowhere to go; it was filled with warmth and even though the everlasting moon lives in Hueco Mundo, he saw the sun, big and warm and filled with life and Ulquiorra tried to reach for it but it always seemed out of grasp. His lips had burned and he had seen auburn locks descending from the sky, walking towards him but they never reached him and suddenly the sky turned black and the sun disappeared along with the auburn locks. He woke up empty and alone and the fear that crept up within him like the plague when he discovered the woman with the auburn locks was no longer next to him nearly had him choke.

His thoughts were interrupted by the woman calling his name—_Ulquiorra, come on, I need something to eat! I'm staaarving, god natto sounds so good right now, you think they could make me some? Or spaghetti, that would be lovely_—and he grunted, heels digging into the concrete and he slowly walked towards her and her endless chatting. When he is a few metres away he has to stop in his tracks as she twirls around, hair dancing along with her dress and gives him a smile—a simple smile but something within him starts to jolt—and she holds down her dress as the currents brushes past them like they are in a hurry. "Thank you, Ulquiorra. This day was…" Orihime chuckles and he supresses another sigh, why was she is such a joyful mood he wondered, her almost being killed and all. "Well, it was great."

He simply nods at her and starts to walk again, catching up with her at the end and together they walk to the barren, stark doors—side by side and whilst listening to her talking about how she almost can't remember what spaghetti taste like between huffs and puffs regarding the lack of colourful meals she never receives, Ulquiorra reminisces about his old self and his old life, being born in a bottomless pit with no light shining down on him, and feeling nothing—_being_ nothing—whilst walking alone for several lifetimes, and finding happiness in form of a stark white bush, he looks to his right and even though he doesn't listen to her and probably never will he realizes that she is more than the woman he captured all those years ago.

She is the sun that doesn't fit in on the night sky yet shines on all of them, giving them strength and hope and gumption while he looks at himself as the void he used to call home, with thorns brought up like a armor he hopes no one could brush by but when she appeared, he welcomed her like life itself and embraced her with the intention of never letting her go.

Happiness, he ponders. In all of its form, he would never have guessed he would find it again, only this time in the form of a weak, fragile human girl that shines brighter than the stark moon in the sky.

...

...

...

OH MY GOD IT'S FINALLY FINISHED

You have no idea how long I've been sitting with this thing for this past month. It wasn't until last night that I actually sat down, opened my laptop and sat for HOURS and finished it! Thank god, I've been wanting to do that for so long and now it's finally finished. Of course, more chapters are coming!

Oh, and for those that haven't read _Unmasked _by Tite Kubo (also known as God) this may be a little confusing. Well, _Unmasked _is a short story if you can call it that about Ulquiorra and his past life before becoming a espada. Oh, and it's written by Tite Kubo. IT'S LIKE CANON I MEAN IT'S AWESOME

If you google _Unmasked _(plus Ulquiorra and Bleach) you will find a link to a deviantart who has all the pages (it's like a regular Bleach chapter, if not shorter) and translated it into english! Yes, she's awesome and GO READ IT. It's beautiful and Ulquiorra is such an interesting character, but what makes _Unmasked _so fantastic is that Ulquiorra is actually _dreaming _about his past and is woken...up...by...ORIHIME!

LIKE YES

HE'S SLEEPING IN HER ROOM

And she calls him _Ulquiorra-kun _for gods sake. THAT IS NOT HOW YOU TREAT SOMEONE YOU HATE _AND HE JUST SHRUGS IT OFF _if anything, I think you remember what happened when Ichigo called Ulquiorra "you're becoming more human" (and I'm sorry but if he isn't reffering to him spending time with Orihime I don't know what life is) and he _smashes the floor to pieces _and when Orihime calls him Ulquiorra-kun, he simply says "Don't use your human manners on me. When you call me, call me only Ulquiorra."

ASDFGHJKLFRWEotF0YHJE+0DASPÅXFSDÖMV

God, it's just... why did he have to die. Meh. Such a beautiful pairing. Anyway, the thing about the bush is that he walks alone for like forever until he finds a white bush that he calls "the void" and he says it's the first thing he ever looked twice at and he finds it beautiful, and as he falls asleep in it he experiences happiness for the first time. I really wanted to use that bush (which is the one Orihime finds) as a connection between Ulquiorra and Orihime because in the chapter, when he thinks happiness, the next page is him awakening and she hovering above him and comments that she is glad she knows "Ulquiorra-kun" can sleep.

There has to be something there. Tite Kubo wouldn't write and draw this chapter about his past and then including her.

OK ANYWAY

Thoughts? Was it horrible? Maybe not? Just remember that I'm not english and therefore it is not something I write or speak on a regular basis so if there's grammatical errors and whatnot, leave them and concentrate on the story.

Lots of love!

_jerkez_


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